Spotlight on Beth Bershader!
Congratulations
to our latest Grand Slam finisher Beth Bershader! We had the opportunity of
asking Beth a few quick questions.Q: What was your first fourteener, and when did you climb it?
BIERSTADT. Keith & I were so excited to climb our 1st 14er when we climbed it reaching the top in just a few hours we thought, this is it? What’s the big deal?? As we sat atop the peak in our cotton clothing, fanny pack w/ 1 water bottle, no 1st aid kit, sunscreen, or sunglasses we debated doing the Sawtooth which we could hear people talking about on the summit. We had no idea that it was class 3, we didn’t even know what class 3 was at the time. We just weren’t ready to be done for the day & it looked like so much fun but it looked so scary. We ended up just going home deciding to come back the next day to climb Mount Evans. When we climbed Mount Evans the next day, it took all day & it was hard. We loved the feeling of complete exhaustion, we’d never experienced it before. Now that felt like a 14er!
Q: At what
point did you commit to finishing them all?
When I took Basic
Mountaineering School (BMS) thru the CO Mtn Club (CMC), it opened up a whole
new world to me. Before this, I was just a trail hiker with zero scrambling
or climbing experience. I not only learned a lot of new skills from this
course but it developed a confidence in me that I never had before to try
new things & push my limits. Keith & I also had developed new friends thru
the CMC & 14erworld to climb with. I think all of that together is when I
subconsciously commited to finishing the 14ers. I never really consciously
made the commitment because I was never 100% I’d be able to do some the ones
I was most scared of like Little Bear or Capitol.
Q: What is your favorite fourteener route?
I know I know, you
think I’m crazy. I was lucky I climbed this in the middle of the week when
there were literally only about 10 other people on the mountain. I climbed
it with 2 other chicks, Teri Horvath & Marlene Swift. It was pretty cool us
3 chicks helping a group of guys from Arkansas along the way giving them
ibuprofen & advice & encouraging them as well as a father & son on their way
down as they followed us relying on our route finding skills. Watching the
sun rise over Twin Sisters as we ascended climbing the standard Keyhole
route with views of the Cable’s Route & the Diamond to the top as Teri gave
all the history of the mountain. Then going down thru the super cool
Palisades to Clarks Arrow up to Mount Meeker & descending thru the Loft with
views of Chasm
Lake
& the Camel & the Ship’s Prow. I had always dreaded climbing
Longs Peak
due to the large amounts of people & I had the impression it wasn’t “all
that”. But you know what, I was IMPRESSED. I loved our tour de Longs. I
thought it was a gorgeous mountain, with cool looking swoopy rock, fun
scrambling, incredible views, few people, and we were 3 strong chicks doing
a really long hard day. It was awesome.
Q: What was your most delightful moment on a 14er?
8/25/07 –
CRESTONE NEEDLE. Probably in my top 3 favorite peaks to climb. Fun fun fun
class 3 scrambling. Gorgeous area. Friends sharing the experience with us.
Keith & I celebrating our final 14er together. A very proud moment for Keith
& I. And a very special moment.
Q: What was
your most terrifying moment on a 14er?
I know this
sounds silly but for me it was the first time I climbed Kelso Ridge on
Torreys. I had never hiked off trail before & had never scrambled. I was
absolutely terrified. I thought I was going to puke or die or maybe both at
the same time. But with my hubby & new found friends from BMS to coach me
through it, I did it. And I loved it. I was totally exhilarated by the
experience. I couldn’t wait to do more. That was a turning point for me in
the beginning of my transformation from a hiker to a mountaineer. Now I love
taking people on Kelso Ridge & showing them how much fun it is!
Q: Do you have any plans for future mountain lists?
I’m not really
a list person when it comes to mountains. And I must say, it’s nice to have
the 14ers finished, it’s like a monkey off my back. BUT as much as I say I’m
not a list person, I have to admit, I would like to finish the peaks in Lost
Creek Wilderness & Indian Peaks Wilderness. The Grand Teton & Gannett Peak
are on my wish list. I’m not really trying to complete the Centennials but I
may slowly work away at them. Who knows!
Q: What
14er did you climb last? Did you intentionally save it for last or is it a
14er that previously eluded you?
CRESTONE NEEDLE. We
didn’t intentionally save it for last. We actually had tried to get it twice
previously & were denied. So it just ended up being last by default. We
never really put any thought into which one we’d climb last.
Q: What is
the single most important piece of advice that you would give to someone
just starting out?
Only you can take
care of you & be responsible for you. This is the BIGGEST thing I have learned from
mountaineering. And this learning encompasses all of the following:
If your group is going too fast for you, go your own pace so you don’t burn out. It’s ok to be pushed faster than your normal pace to get stronger, but you have to know when it’s too much. If you need a break & your group isn’t breaking, take a break. If you don’t agree with the route finding, speak up. If you’re hungry or thirsty, eat or drink, don’t wait for everyone else. You must keep yourself in check on how you’re feeling. If you’re bonking or totally exhausted, it is not the time for ego or to feel embarrassed, it happens to the best of us & it’s important for your teammates to know so you’re not putting yourself or your team at risk. You must keep your fear in check, I think fear is healthy & keeps you alert, but don’t let it get the best of you. Learn how to manage your fear. You have to know your own limits & be honest about them, the mountains are no place for ego. It’s good to push your limits so you can grow, but you must know that fine line when it’s just too much for you. You need to know when to ask for help from your teammates when you need it (it is not a sign of weakness). If you don’t have the skills, it’s your responsibility to ask your friends to teach you or take a class to learn them. You have to be willing & open to learning & realize you can always learn something new from someone else, watch others & what they carry & what they do & learn from your own successes & failures. Mountaineering is an ever learning experience.
You control the experience you have, make it great!